How to treat teratoma

  Teratoma is a tumor caused by an abnormal lesion in the germ cells and can occur anywhere in the body. Malignant teratomas can also lead to death, so they need to be treated promptly after detection. At this stage, the treatment for teratoma is mainly surgical and pharmacological. Drug treatment is for small teratomas, but surgery is needed if the size is larger than 3 cm.  In the case of unilateral teratoma, the main treatment is unilateral adnexal resection to preserve the reproductive function. If the patient does not have a need for fertility and the tumor has progressed to stage II or III, bilateral adnexal and total hysterectomy may be an option. Patients with extensive abdominal implantation and metastasis need to undergo tumor cytoreduction as much as possible to achieve the goal of basic tumor removal. For recurrent teratoma, surgery is still the main treatment, but chemotherapy or radiotherapy is also needed after surgery. Drug treatment can only temporarily control the rapid growth of teratoma, but it is difficult to achieve complete removal.  It is best to treat teratomas in a timely manner after they are discovered, and the specific treatment plan should be arranged by the clinician, who will make the best treatment plan for each individual.